panasonic

The new DVD camcorders that Panasonic's rolling out for its Spring 2007 line all boast the same 32X zoom lens plus optical stabilizer, SD slots for still capture, and added support for dual-layer DVDs. The top-of-the-line VDR-D310 keeps up Panasonic's 3CCD tradition; the VDR-D210 and D230 have a single unspecified chip. The two lower-end models cost $450 and $500, respectively and are slated to ship in February; the VDR310 won't be out till March, and will cost $700.

Though Panasonic calls them "hybrid" camcorders--being able to record to an SD card or a 30GB hard drive doesn't qualify in my book--the new SDR-H200 and SDR-H20 both have shock-protected 30GB hard drives for about six hours of best-quality recording, optical image stabilization, and prices of $799.95 and $599.95, respectively. Though $800 might not seem low for a hard-drive camcorder, consider that it has 3 CCDs and shoots 3-megapixel stills. The lower-priced SDR-H20 compensates for its lowly single-chip status with the typical 32X stalker lens--at least with the OIS you have a chance of getting … Read more

These days, if you're not rocking some mobile broadband on your laptop, you might as well not even leave the house. The latest notebooks to jump on the EV-DO Rev. A bandwagon (for those speedy 800KBps downloads) are the Panasonic Toughbook W5 and the T5, originally released in September. The provider of choice in this case is Sprint.

Our enthusiasm is only somewhat dampened by the fact that those two models are what Panasonic calls "business-rugged." That means these laptops have a magnesium-alloy case designed to withstand a 1-foot drop, and shock-mounted hard drives rated for a … Read more

Panasonic's gone HD-happy with its recent announcement of two new AVCHD camcorders. The HDC-DX1 and HDC-SD1 are two small, sleek, and sporty high-definition camcorders priced less than $1,500 with some very nice features.

The HDC-DX1 is a DVD camcorder that can record up to 40 minutes of 1080i footage onto a single 8cm dual-layer DVD-R, or up to 20 minutes onto single-layer DVD-RW or DVD-RAM for rewritability. The HDC-SD1 is an SD camcorder that can record up to an hour of 1080i footage onto a 4GB SDHC card.

Both models use three CCDs to record their high-definition video, … Read more

With flat screens getting bigger all the time, the idea of mounting them on the wall may start to lose its appeal. After all, where would you hang all your art? Panasonic apparently has figured that out, which may be one reason it's offering this limited-edition 58-inch plasma TV with a custom-fitted stand in matching piano black.

The Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ600K, as reported by I4U News, will be available next month on the Japanese market. It has the same 1080p resolution as its 50-inch cousin, but its $16,000 price is more than twice that of the smaller model'… Read more

Does this give you the creeps too? The Genkiyoku shower from Panasonic uses half the water of traditional showers. But personally, it gave me the creeps. Plus, it does make some hard-to-reach spots more difficult to manage.

But I guess if you had a wall in front of it, rather than a sliding glass door, you might feel less violated. The picture was taken at the company's Eco and UD house, an ecologically friendly home that it says can be commercially viable by 2010.

(Photo: Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks)

Call it the battle of the big screens. Earlier this year, 50-inch plasma TVs crossed into a new realm of clarity when Pioneer introduced its Pro-FHD1 with 1080p native resolution. That model garnered good reviews from industry mags--and CNET is expecting to review one soon as well, whenever they decide to finally send it our way--but unfortunately, it brandished a price point reminiscent of plasma TVs circa 2001: $10,000 list.

Now primary plasma purveyor Panasonic has answered the challenge with the first 50-inch model of its own in that resolution, the TH-50PF9UK, for November release at $5,995. It … Read more

For those of you worried about intruders and global warming, Matsushita Electric (Panasonic to us North Americans) has come up with a security camera that runs on solar power or wind power. That way it works in rain or shine. This picture was taken at the company's Eco and UD house, an ecologically friendly home that it says can be commercially viable by 2010.

(Photo: Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks)

Sometimes, I wake up and wonder why I never got into the lucrative field of company branding and naming. You wake up, mix a couple of Latin terms with comic book names and charge someone six figures. How cool is that?

The latest example: Esteemo. It's not a new dry cleaning process. It's not a superhero's sidekick. It's a joint venture between Panasonic and NEC to develop mobile handsets.

"The company name has been coined from a combination of the words Esteem and Mobile to signify establishment by Panasonic and NEC as business partners with … Read more